Moths of North Carolina
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Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
Choose a Family
ACROLEPIIDAE-
ADELIDAE-Fairy moths
ALUCITIDAE-
AMPHISBATIDAE-
ARGYRESTHIIDAE-
AUTOSTICHIDAE-
BATRACHEDRIDAE-Batrachedrid Moths
BEDELLIIDAE-Bedelliid Moths
BLASTOBASIDAE-
BOMBYCIDAE-
BUCCULATRICIDAE-
CARPOSINIDAE-
CHOREUTIDAE-Metalmark Moths
COLEOPHORIDAE-Casebearer Moths and Relatives
COSMOPTERIGIDAE-Cosmopterigid Moths
COSSIDAE-Carpenter Moths, Goat Moths
CRAMBIDAE-Grass Moths, Snout Moths
DEPRESSARIIDAE-
DREPANIDAE-Hook-tips and Thyatirid Moths
DRYADAULIDAE-
ELACHISTIDAE-Grassminer Moths and Relatives
EPERMENIIDAE-
EPIPYROPIDAE-
EREBIDAE-Erebid Moths
ERIOCRANIIDAE-
EUTELIIDAE-
GALACTICIDAE-
GELECHIIDAE-Gelechiid Moths; Twirler Moths
GEOMETRIDAE-Geometer Moths, Loopers
GLYPHIDOCERIDAE-
GLYPHIPTERIGIDAE-Sedge Moths
GRACILLARIIDAE-Leafblotch miner moths
HELIOZELIDAE-Shield bearer moths
HEPIALIDAE-Ghost or Swift Moths
HYBLAEIDAE-
INCURVARIIDAE-
LASIOCAMPIDAE-Tent Caterpillar Moths, Lappet Moths
LECITHOCERIDAE-Long-horned Moths
LIMACODIDAE-Slug Caterpillar Moths
LIMOCODIDAE-
LYONETIIDAE-Lyonetiid Moths
MEGALOPYGIDAE-Flannel Moths
MICROPTERIGIDAE-Mandibulate Moths
MIMALLONIDAE-
MOMPHIDAE-Mompha Moths
NEPTICULIDAE-Minute leaf miners
NOCTUIDAE-Owlet Moths
NOLIDAE-
NOTODONTIDAE-Prominents
OECOPHORIDAE-Oecophorid Moths
OPOSTEGIDAE-
PELEOPODIDAE-
PLUTELLIDAE-Diamondback Moths
PRODOXIDAE-Yucca Moths
PSYCHIDAE-Bagworm Moths
PTEROPHORIDAE-Plume Moths
PYRALIDAE-Pyralid Moths, Snout Moths
SATURNIIDAE-Giant Silkworm Moths
SCHRECKENSTEINIIDAE-Schreckensteiniid Moths
SCYTHRIDIDAE-
SESIIDAE-Clearwing Moths
SPHINGIDAE-Sphinx Moths
THYATIRIDAE-
THYRIDIDAE-Window-winged Moths
TINEIDAE-Clothes moths
TISCHERIIDAE-Tischerid Moths
TORTRICIDAE-Leafroller Moths
URANIIDAE-
URODIDAE-Urodid Moths
XYLORYCTIDAE-
YPONOMEUTIDAE-Ermine Moths
YPSOLOPHIDAE-Ypsolophid Moths
ZYGAENIDAE-
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Megalopygidae Members:
Lagoa unidentified species
Megalopyge crispata
Megalopyge opercularis
Megalopyge pyxidifera
Megalopyge unidentified species
Norape cretata
Megalopyge
Members:
Megalopyge crispata
Megalopyge opercularis
Megalopyge pyxidifera
Megalopyge unidentified species
72 NC Records
Megalopyge pyxidifera
(Smith, 1797) - Yellow Flannel Moth
Taxonomy
Superfamily:
Zygaenoidea
Family:
Megalopygidae
P3 Number:
57a0036
MONA Number:
4642.00
MONA Synonym:
Lagoa pyxidifera
Comments:
This is one of four members of this genus in North America, two of which occur in North Carolina. This species has a long history of being placed back and forth between the genus
Megalopyge
and
Lagoa
. Becker (1995) was the last to reinstate
Megalopyge
.
Identification
Field Guide Descriptions:
Covell (2005)
Online Resources:
MPG
,
BugGuide
,
iNaturalist
,
Google
,
BAMONA
,
GBIF
,
BOLD
Technical Description, Immature Stages:
Wagner (2005)
Adult Markings:
This species is similar in size and shape to
Megalopyge crispata
but the wings, body, legs, and antennae are entirely pale to amber yellow with no markings. The broad forewings possess wavy hairs across the basal half that imparts a distinctive wrinkled or "woolly" appearance, although the uniformity of the coloration makes this feature less obvious than on
M. crispata
and
M. opercularis
. The males have prominent pectinate antennae that are about two-thirds as long as the forewing.
Wingspan:
30-36 mm
Adult ID Requirements:
Identifiable from good quality photos of unworn specimens.
Immatures and Development:
This species appears to be a generalist that feeds on the leaves of broadleaf trees and shrubs. There are typically two or more generations per year depending on the latitude. In the early instars the body is sordid white with a brownish dorsal band divided by a pale line and a broad brown lateral band. The body is covered by thin, long, fluffy white hairs. In the older instars the body is covered with shorter, dense hairs that are soft, smooth and directed backwards. The posteriormost hairs are shaped into a wispy-like tail that extends a short distance beyond the body. The coat varies from whitish gray to yellowish gray or orange and the hairs are sufficiently dense to conceal the body (Dyer, 1897). The larvae are very similar to those of
Lagoa crispata
and are best identified by either rearing or geographic range (Wagner, 2005). The larvae have urticating spines that can sting and cause skin irritation (Mullen and Zaspel, 2019), so be careful when handling.
Larvae ID Requirements:
Identifiable only through rearing to adulthood.
Distribution in North Carolina
Distribution:
Megalopyge pyxidifera
is mostly restricted to Coastal Plain habitats in the southeastern US. The range extends from southeastern North Carolina to southern Florida, and westward to southern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana. Except for one record from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that needs to be confirmed, all North Carolina records come from the southern half of the Coastal Plain, including the Fall-line Sandhills.
County Map:
Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Flight Dates:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)
Click on graph to enlarge